


What a NERD is

by ThatShxtAgain



Category: N.E.R.D.S. - Michael Buckley
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2020-03-06 18:31:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18856678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatShxtAgain/pseuds/ThatShxtAgain
Summary: A collection of oneshots of a group of kids undercover as superpowered spies to save the worldMultiple oneshots may take place in different books





	1. Requests

Hey guys! Like a mentioned in my other fanfic, this is the oneshot book for NERDS! Feel free to request anything, the first one shot will be posted soon. I’ve written things like romance, action, horror, emotional, angst, and others, to feel free to get creative!

 

Upcoming chapters (not in order):

Organization

Military School (Dimension 376)

Replacement

The Price of Perfection (Dimension 95)

We’re Better Than This (MISFIT)

Take a Break Part 2

Chaotic Neutral


	2. A New Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson and Matilda are introduced a new lesson in health class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first one shot! Sorry it took so long, the ending is kinda rushed, but I hoped you enjoy!

"And that's how babies are made!"

Jackson and Matilda shared a look of shock, disbelief, disgust, and horror, slack - jawed and eyes wide. This was  _not_  how they expected their new lesson for health class would be about.

A few minutes ago, the two had found that their regular health instructor had been replaced with a special guest teacher. The woman appeared to be young compared to their other teachers, her cat eye glasses perched at the tip of her nose and chocolate brown hair pinned back into a sleek bun that made her practically a distant relative to Ms. Deprankova. She introduced herself as 'Ms. Bentley,' and informed the students that she would be taking over health class for this particular new lesson.

"Now normally, we don't start these types of lessons until high school," Ms Bentley had said. "But according to a few reports from several different states, the school board had decided to take up a new program to educate young peers before making rash decisions. This program is called MAD," The woman then turned to the white board, writing down the word MAD in big letters. "MAD stands for Making A Difference, which is an evidence-based, abstinence approach to avoid diseases such as STDs and HIV."

"Do you know what any of those are?" Jackson whispered to Matilda, who shook her head. "I think I heard one of my brothers mention it before though," she whispers back with a shrug. Both agents didn't get hung up on it too much, they'd find out soon enough anyways.

Now, skipping to thirty minutes later, the duo wished they hadn't learned what they meant. In fact, they wished they didn't learn  _anything_ from this new lesson.

"Now to educate you, I'll let you pair up with the person you're sitting next to for the next activities."

The two exhaled in relief, only to have their shocked faces return when Ms. Bentley placed a small square packet and a wooden... _dingaling_  on the table.

"For our first activity, I will show you how to properly put on a condom," the woman opened the packet, carefully taking out what looked like a tiny plastic of some sort, rimmed with a circular frame. "Now, it's easier then it looks. With one hand, squeeze the top of the condom - it's 'jimmy hat' -" The substitute instructor placed the condom on the top of the wooden model, one hand holding onto the little tip sticking out from the condom. "-while the other slides the base down the rest of the shaft." She slides the base down the rest of the model - surprising for such a small thing. "See? Simple. Now it's your turn. I'll be giving each pair a condom and a wooden demonstrator, and the two of you can help each other put the condom on the demo. Be careful not to tear the condom, and use hand sanitizer after you're done."

The two spies blinked when both said items arrived at their own table, both blankly staring at the items. "I think my childhood just flew out the window," Jackson commented. "Mine too," Matilda agreed.

The duo continued to stare at the foreign objects, as if waiting for confetti to explode and the words 'YOU FELL FOR IT' to appear in invisible ink on the demo. None of that happened. Truthfully, neither of the two wanted to do it, both feeling too awkward and anxious, relying on the other to start instead. Again, that didn't happen either.

"You do it."

"No you do it."

"It's you're-!  _You're_ private part!"

"Do you wanna be the one to hold the model then?"

".....fine. You owe me."

Matilda opened the packet, taking out the condom with a grimace. "Yuck, she never mentioned it would be  _slimy..._ " The small girl pokes the 'jimmy hat' up, stretching the rim a bit before glancing at the demo. Still grimacing, she slowly tried to put the condom on the tip of the demo, writhing back from time to time in disgust. Then, with a fidgety hand, she stuck the condom on top of the demo, recoiling.

"You still need to pull the rest of it down," Jackson reminded.

"Shut up," Matilda said, but from the look on her face, it didn't look like she'd be doing that anytime soon. Jackson sighs, "here, lemme do it-" the two trade jobs, and with both hands Jackson pulled the rest of the condom down the base.

Only for the rim to snap, tearing a hole on the side of the condom.

".....you broke it."

"I broke it," Jackson confirmed.

"Wow, now I remember why we never trust you with important objects," Matilda said sarcastically, to which the boy rolls his eyes in return, raising his hand. "Ms. Bentley! Can we get another condom? Ours broke."

There were a few snickers from the back of the class, but the two didn't pay much mind on it. Mainly because they had no idea why they found it funny in the first place.

"Here you go," Ms. Bentley handed Jackson another packet then notices Matilda sitting next to him in surprise. "Huh, I think you're the only opposite gender pair here."

The two exchanged confused looks, before looking around the classroom. Ms. Bentley was right, the rest of the class had only paired with someone of the same gender, girls with girls, boys with boys. "Ms. Bentley, is there a reason why they would do that?" Matilda asked.

"Hmm, perhaps it has something to do with the next activity. It's on page 45."

The clueless preteens flipped their workbook to page 45, which was titled 'How To Say No.' "'In this activity, pair up and act out one of the following scenes,'" Jackson read aloud. "'I don't feel comfortable doing this,' 'but it'll feel  _so_  go-'" The blonde stops in realization, slamming the book closed.

"Dammit, we really should've thought this through..."

***

"What's up with those two?" Heathcliff asked when he and Flinch arrived at the NERDS' table in the cafeteria. Jackson, for once, was actually eating the gross cafeteria food, making a face each time he managed to swallow, and would pick the food stuck in his braces with his fork. Matilda, on the other hand, had pushed her tray forward, laying her head face - first on the table, both palms covering the top of her head.

The MAD program was absolute torture. Turns out that they has perform not one, but  _three_ scenes from that stupid activity book in front of the whole class. It wasn't exactly 'acting,' since they only read off of the workbook, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing. Especially since the vast majority were new recruits for NERDS and had been looking up to the main team.

"Something about health class," Ruby shrugs scratching her shoulder. She was allergic to embarrassing events, even if they didn't happen to her.

"If eating this gunk will make me forget everything that happened in health class, then I'll eat it," Jackson declared before wincing at the next spoonful. "God what is this, rat poisoning-"

The bracefaced boy leaned forward to sniff the spoonful, only to recoil back in disgust.

"Why did they have to start with  _our_ class," Matilda complained, her voice muffled from the table. "In fact, why weren't we informed about this program earlier? Everyone except us knew about it!"

"We were busy stopping some Irish twins from brainwashing the UK to submitting into their republic," Duncan reminded. "We couldn't possibly have gotten back in time to hear the news."

"Still - this stuff's  _nightmare fuel._ "

"What's nightmare fuel?" The NERDS looked up to see Hooper, Toad, Wyatt, and Jessie approaching their table. Ever since the Troublemakers were made into a team, they've started becoming more aquanted with the rest of the NERDS. They were a bit uncomfortable at first, but eventually they let them go as far as sitting with them at their table.

"The MAD program," Jackson answered, finally pushing away the tray, forcing himself to swallow his last spoonful.

"Ah, so MAD finally comes to our region," Jessie sighs overdramatically as each of the Troublemakers pulled themselves a seat. "I'm guessing you must've been traumatized - which is surprising, since most preteens your age lose their innocence as early as 4th grade."

"Give them a break Jessie, they're the 2014 generation. Kids like them are usually pure," Toad defended before turning to Jackson and Matilda. "But seriously though - how was it?"

"Horrible," Jackson grumbled.

"Embarrassing," Matilda chimed.

"Wait a minute, were you two the only girl-boy pair in the MAD class?" Wyatt blurted, and the two sunk into their seats.

Hooper grins, "dude, you guys are the Hollywood stars of the day! The other delinquents were talking about how hilarious you two were during the skits and how you managed to break  _four_  condoms! And it was the  _wooden_ demo, it was supposed to be easy!"

"Can we please wallow in our shame in peace please," Matilda groaned, banging her head on the table.

"Well at least you got a video break," Toad pointed out which caused them both to groan in unison.

"I was hoping to have forgotten it by now," Jackson grunts,closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. Seriously, whose idea was to make a video for middle schoolers so...graphic?!"

Matilda shudders, "oh great, it's stuck in my head again..."

The NERDS watched their fellow teammates in silent amusement. They probably should've been more defensive for their sake, but this is one of the few moments Jackson and Matilda were actually agreeing on something without brawling each other.

The Troublemakers didn't seem to miss it either. "You two sure are squeamish with this kind of stuff, huh?" Hooper raised an eyebrow. He scoots his chair in between them, giving them both a pat on the back. "There there, I've been in your shoes before. You have  _no idea_ how awkward it was when several teenagers would make appointments with my dad about 'pubic lice,' or complaining how their vagina or penis had started to grow warts after-"

"Okay I see what's going on now, stop it," Jackson snapped, swatting his arm away. Hooper raised his hands in surrender. "Hey man, just gettin' you ready for the big world. Y'know, laying in the bedroom, going feral, that moment when you slip into her warm, we-"

Matilda kneed Hooper in the groin, and he howls in pain. The other Troublemakers roar with laughter, and even the NERDS let a few snickers escape. Suddenly, the NERDS all let out a sneeze.

"Alpha NERDS, we need you in the Playground," A gruff voice grunted. This was Bart, one of the newer, inexperienced recruits. He wasn't exactly allowed out on the field yet, so in the meantime he was put on com - duty.

"On our way Bart, and that's not our title."

"Not to the rest of us it is."

Ruby rolled her eyes before squeezing her nose to disconnect the com - link. "Well, here's a good distraction. C'mon guys."

***  
"For someone focused on drilling up  _gemstones_ , the fact he chose such a tall building to stay in is just ridiculous."

The NERDS were currently staring up at the Zions Bank Headquarters, which was created just recently for specially picked workers of the Zions Bank. It had 18 floors, and standing at 324 feet, it was officially the tallest building in the state of Idaho.

"Mr. Jupiter, aka 'the Crystalizer,' is one of the best employees of the Zions Bank," Heathcliff explained. "He's won Employee of the Year twelve times in a row, and winning the favor of the owner, he now has access to all other inhabited rooms. The other workers claim that he stays in one room for more than a day, and always chooses a new room the next."

"Which makes locating him all the more difficult," Duncan added, reaching into his backpack. "But luckily, I brought these." The chubby African boy pulled out what appeared to be a Phoropter from an eye doctor's clinic, having multiple lenses attached around it. "These are Descry Oversight Lenses. With its multiple lenses, it can be used as X-ray vision, heat vision, invisibility or cloaking vision, anything. Unfortunately, I uh-" Duncan scratches his head sheepishly. "I only brought three of these."

"Alright, then we'll split the team into twos. Flinch, you and I can take the first few floors from the bottom. Gluestick, Choppers, you two start at the center of the building before splitting up again, one going down and the other up. Wheezer, Braceface, you will take the top floors and meet Gluestick on your way down. Report your findings after you finish four floors."

The NERDS nodded, and each of them sprung into action. With Heathcliff sitting atop his back (with some glue for safety), Gluestick began to climb up to the 8th floor. Matilda picked up Jackson, flying them toward the roof of the building. Flinch dashed inside the first floor, running past each room using the x - ray lenses to check for the Crystalizer. Meanwhile, Ruby waited near the stairs, hacking into the security cameras in search for a hint where the man was. "We have three likely chances of where the Crystalizer could be - A61 on the 5th floor, B48 on the 11th floor, and C13 on the 16th floor."

"On it. Braceface out."

The blonde disconnects the com - link before turning to Wheezer, who had already opened a window, jumping out and activating her inhalers. "We could've used the stairs y'know," Jackson pointed out. Matilda shrugs, "where's the fun in that?"

Jackson sighs, then jumps out as well, Matilda catching him in her arms and flying them down to the 16th floor. Jackson leans forward, opening the nearest window, and Matilda flies them in, dropping Jackson to the floor.

"C15...C14...here it is!" Jackson took out the lenses, fitting them in front of his eyes and was about to switch the x - ray vision-

_"Ooh Nick~! R-Right there~!"_

If anyone asked, both agents  _totally kept their cool_  and definitely  _did not sprint to the other end of the hall._

Jackson stopped to catch his breath, pressing his nose. "uh, Pufferfish?"

"What is it, Braceface?"

"Um, does this Crystalizer guy have a girlfriend or something?"

"Jackson, how is this even relevant to our mission?"

"N-Nevermind...it's not C16."

"What? We already checked the other rooms! He  _has_  to be in that one!"

"Well..." Matilda started nervously, gulping. "The thing is-"

"Did you go inside?"

"No..."

"Did you use the lenses then?"

"No, not that either..."

"Then  _why haven't you done any of those_?!" Jackson and Matilda both winced when Ruby yelled angrily. "Well, uh, you see," Jackson tugged the collar of his shirt, already feeling Ruby's glare on him. 'There's...there's these sounds coming from inside..very..inappropriate sounds..-"

"THAT'S ALL-God, the Troublemakers are right, you two  _are_ squeamish."

Ruby sighed from the other end of the com - link when both protested against that statement, taking a deep breath to calm herself before speaking again. "Look, we don't have time for this. If we don't find this guy in time, he could possibly drill too far into the Earth's core, which could cause massive destruction. You're both trained to save the world  _at all costs,_ which means putting others' lives first and doing things you don't want to do. So suck it up, and properly check the room before reporting if its empty, even if it means possibly traumatizing yourselves with inappropriate behavior. Is that clear?"

"Clear Pufferfish," Jackson mumbled reluctantly, glancing at the hall. "Well, better do what macho boss lady said," he joked, earning a chuckle from his partner.

The two cautiously approach the room, most likely taking slower steps then they were supposed to. Just from being outside, they could still hear a woman's voice and a piece of wooden furniture creaking. Jackson stared at the lenses in his hand for about a few seconds, then held it over to Matilda.

"You do it."

"Are you kidding? You  _owe_ me," Matilda barked. "There's no way I'm looking inside whatever the hell is going on."

"C'mon! Pleeeeaaaassseeeee," Jackson pleaded.

"No no no no no! Noooo way! I'd rather go back to being shark bait then do that!"

"I don't wanna do it either!"

"Well too bad!  _You're_ the one holding the lenses!"

Jackson groaned in agitation, positioning the lenses over his eyes. "Man, this is going to be  _so_ gross..."

Jackson activated the x - ray vision, and what he saw shocked him more than what he thought.

Inside, a man with disheveled hair was furiously typing on his laptop, looking over his shoulder to check on a humongous drill that spun whenever he pressed certain keys. The room was filled with different assortments of precious gems, from jade, topaz, zircon, and tourmaline, to garnets and opals, Idaho's most important gems to be produced.

But Jackson wasn't paying attention to any of those. He was staring at the large speaker right in front of the room, playing the audio of what he and Matilda had thought were unspeakable actions.

Jackson took off the lenses, stunned. "What? What did you see?" Matilda asked.

"We've been duped," Jackson replied, his braces swirling out of his mouth to form a large mallet. Matilda's eyes widened, extending a hand forward, "wait-!"

But it was too late. Jackson had already bashed the door down, causing the man inside to shriek, jumping out of his seat and whirling around. The Korean girl looked around the room, dumbfounded. "No wonder he's never been bothered," She murmured once she saw the speaker before turning her attention back to Jackson. "We're not supposed to confront him yet! We were supposed to report what we saw to the others and wait until they got here!"

"Too late for that now," Jackson shrugs, and the smaller girl facepalms.

"Wh-Who are you people?" The man cried incredulously.

"The people sent to kick your butt," Wheezer responds, brandishing her inhalers and flying off the ground. The man yelped, backing away, causing him to bump into his desk. "Oh d-dear...i-it wasn't supposed to get so out of hand-!" He stammers. "I-I just wanted a-a proposal present for my girl! Y-You understand that, right?"

"No offense man, but using a recording of another woman to keep your coworkers from bothering makes you look unfaithful," Jackson pointed out. The man's eyes widened in realization, "y-you're right! Th-They must've told Leila a-about what they he-heard...sh-she must think I'm cheating!!"

Wheezer and Braceface exchange confused looks as they watched the man continue to mumble worriedly to himself, stumbling over a few jades when attempted to move around his chair. "This guy's got some serious self - esteem issues," Wheezer whispered as she hopped back down to the ground. Jackson nodded his head in agreement.

Jackson's braces whirled back into his mouth just in time for him to sneeze. "Braceface, you better have a good explanation on what's going on," Pufferfish hissed.

"Weellll," Jackson takes another glance at the nervous man. "Mr. Jupiter's actually a nervous wreck, and he's been been collecting those precious gems for a proposal gift to his girlfriend. But right now, he's not doing anything. He's just going over some life choices."

"Did you barge in?"

"....yes."

Jackson heard Ruby audibly groan, "You're still  _terrible_ at taking orders, as usual...just keep him busy 'til we get there. There's no way you could mess that up."

"I'll have you know that before today, I was  _exceptional_ at following orders."

"Sure you were, Jones. Pufferfish out."

Jackson scanned the room, looking for something to keep the man distracted. His eyes wander to his laptop's open monitor screen, where a blurred video (not exactly, he was just far away) was paused. He squinted at the logo on the top left corner.

"What's 'PornHub?'" Jackson questions.

The man froze, whirling back to his laptop. He rushes over, slamming the monitor shut. "Umm, heh, I-I think you don't need to know for your adolescence," he fumbles with nervous laughter.

"Is it something that involves mature content? We're already learning about that in school," Matilda adds.

The man stares at her in disbelief. "Already? Y-You look like you're barely past eight!"

"Twelve," Matilda sighs, mumbling under her breath, "stupid Asian genes..."

"Sh-Shouldn't you two be trying to a-arrest me?" Mr. Jupiter asked. "Y-You  _did_ barge in w-with, uh-"

"Nanobytes," Jackson answered for him. "They give us our upgrades. And we've got time, Latin lessons are super boring anyways."

"W-Well, alright. If you insist..." The man said reluctantly as Jackson props himself on his bed and Matilda sits cross legged on the floor. "I-I'll try to explain it in the most scientific way possible, so you may keep what's left of your childhood innocence..."

 _If there's any left,_ Jackson thought.

***

"So let me get this straight, you decided to ask the Crystalizer about a website that you  _knew_  had a high possibility of containing sexual and unacceptable behavior, despite your obvious uncomfortable demeanor, and in doing so he managed to explain it into a 24 minute lesson?" Ruby asked, bewildered. They were now on the School Bus, heading back to school, the Crystalizer safely locked up and the gems collected. 

The NERDS were also there to witness an angry woman slap him multiple times before the special authorities dragged him away.

Matilda nods, "we timed it."

"And  _why_  did you do that?" Ruby demanded.

"You  _did_  say to keep the guy busy until you and the others came," Jackson replied with a teasing smile.

"That's not-ugh, forget it," Ruby sighs, placing a hand on her temple. "At least you kept the guy from escaping, so kudos on your part."

"Are you guys okay though?" Flinch asked, leaning forward to look over to them. "You guys were really freaked out about that stuff earlier."

"Honestly?" Matilda asked. "We're probably even more traumatized then during class, especially since the guy had no shame in showing us more than one 'example,' and we might end up coming in more sleep deprived then usual."

A beat of silence passed.

"So yeah, we're good," Matilda shrugged.

The School Bus landed, and the NERDS did not miss when Matilda and Jackson were the first to hop out, practically speeding to the exit. 

"Where are you going?" Duncan yelled.

"To wipe our memory of everything we just saw," Jackson called back. "And probably watch some cartoons!"


	3. Take A Break Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After noticing a change in behavior, Deprankova and the Hyena attempt to give the NERDS a day off. Too bad they're too prideful to accept the offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by NetPaths

Ms. Deprankova first noticed it when the main NERDS stepped into the briefing room last Thursday. They were all already an hour late, but the blonde Russian understood their situation. Each of them had become mentors to the other recruits, teaching them specific skills for when they were on the field. Most weren't quite ready, so they'd have to spend more time helping the struggling recruits while dividing the rest for schoolwork and missions.

The first to step in was Duncan, tweaking with the XP - 400. The said tetherball had multiple cracks in its surface, and every time he tried to adjust something, the ball with pop and crackle, sparks flying out from the side. The African American boy barely gave her a greeting, mumbling a polite 'hello,' but never once looking up from the piece of machinery. Deprankova let that slide - Duncan was just focused on the machine. He'll put it aside once the briefing started.

Second to enter was Flinch. The lanky boy looked exhausted, sweating a waterfall and panting heavily as he wobbled inside, collapsing in his seat. He reaches over to the water jug at the center of the table, and instead of pouring himself a glass he drinks straight from dispenser. Duncan didn't spare him a glance.

This causes Deprankova to frown slightly. The two boys had always been the closest in the team, and due to their busy schedule, they'd talk to each other any chance they got. Again, she waves it off. She was just being a worrywart, she reminds herself. These were only small things - the kids couldn't always act the same every day.

Ruby and Jackson were the next to come in. Both came from the two opposite entrances at the same time - Jackson appearing to be the first one with a calm demeanor whereas Ruby was intensely scribbling in her thick binder of reports, currently wrapping up her most recent recruit's report - and in doing so ended up bumping into each other, knocking a few of Ruby's papers out. Jackson bent down to pick them up for her, but Ruby only continued walking to the table, eyes never leaving her report as she continue to jot down her report. She didn't seem to have noticed her missing papers. Jackson stared at her in confusion, then shrugged, passing the papers underneath her binder before taking a seat. Again, she didn't notice.

Deprankova's frown deepened. Ruby wasn't usually this distracted - usually her allergies would've alerted her ahead of time if a person was nearby, much less bump into. The fact that Ruby hadn't fumed about disarray and the importance of organization wasn't a good sign either. 

The woman took a deep breath. There were only two more agents they were waiting for - then she'd prove to herself that this was just a coincidence and that they could move on.

That was not the case when Heathcliff darted into the room, slamming the door behind him, eyes wide with panic. This caught the attention of the other NERDS as they watched their teammate began to rapidly block the door with tables, chairs, and books,  then ducking behind one of the side desks.

"Everything okay Heathcliff?" Jackson asked, tilting his head.

"Not exactly," Heathcliff breathed, squeezing himself further behind the desk. "I may or may not have ticked Wheezer off."

"Heathcliff, Matilda is a reasonable person," Jackson reassures. "Just let her bring you to a headlock or two, and you'll be forgiven in no time splat."

Heathcliff shook his head furiously, his eyes darting back to the door. "I don't think that's gonna calm her down," he responds with a nervous edge.

Jackson raised a brow. "Heath, there's a  _very_ big difference between her being 'ticked off,' and her actually-"

The NERDS jumped when the entrance Heathcliff had blocked exploded, the chairs, tables, books, and even the door itself sent flying across the room. Ms. Deprankova only managed to duck just in time when a table sailed right past her head.

Standing at the doorway was the team's final member - Matilda. From her appearance alone, anyone could've assumed she had walked straight into an explosion herself. The girl was covered in soot, an assortment of screws, cotton candy, and what Deprankova assumes is the remains of a candy canes stuck on her clothes. Matilda's hair was tangled in bubble gum, and the look on her face would be enough to scare a person to death, her eyes burning with murder.

"-mad," Jackson finishes, blinking at the sight of the tiny girl practically ready to cause another explosion then and there. "wooooow, you must've messed up  _big_  this time."

"Where. Is. Heathcliff," Matilda asked through grit teeth, fists shaking at her sides. Deprankova was worried the girl might turn feral at that moment.

Jackson blinked again, processing what she had said. "Oooh!  _Heathcliff_! Yeah, um, you just missed him. Th-The guy just ran out the other door when he heard you-"

"He's behind that desk."

Jackson whirled around to glare at his fellow teammate. Flinch raised his hand in surrender, "hey! I don't wanna be in her line of fire, niño! She's crazy when she's mad!"

The Korean whipped out her inhaler, and before Deprankova could stop her, she blasted the desk, creating a large, gaping hole, revealing Heathcliff. The redhead shrieked, attempting scramble away but Matilda was quicker, and it wasn't long before the two were locked in a wrestling match.

Flinch and Jackson ran over, and after several tries managed to pry Matilda off of Heathcliff. Matilda was writhing, ready to spring out when she got the chance, but Flinch had a firm grip on her. Jackson stayed in between the angry girl and the cowering boy in case she managed to wrench herself free.

"Children!" Deprankova cried. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Why don't you ask  _Heathcliff_?" Matilda bursted out, still fighting back against Flinch's hold. " _He's_  the one with the idea to bring his little 'inventors' into the supply closet where I was training my rookies! Inventor bumps into rookie, invention goes haywire, and next thing you know the walls, the equipment,  _everything,_ was covered with  _candy!_ "

"The workers can just clean the supply closet," Jackson suggested.

"Or better yet,  _I_ can," Flinch added, licking his lips contently

"Did you even  _see_ the state of the supply closet? It's going to take weeks, maybe  _months_ , to clean everything!" Matilda roared. "Who's going to repair the damaged equipment? Where am I going to train the rookies?  _How am I supposed to do my usual four hours of training?!_ "

Matilda was practically thrashing, and for a brief moment Flinch's hands almost slipped. Instead, he wraps his arms around her torso, trapping her in a bear hug from behind. It stopped her from moving around too much, but Deprankova knew that Flinch wasn't the most careful person, and if Matilda continued to fight back, he could accidentally crush her ribcage. The woman took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and said in a stern tone.

" _Wheezer._ "

Her voice cut through the room like ice, making the four NERDS freeze, a chill running up their spines. Each slowly turned their head to Deprankova, who stared down at them with challenging eyes. " _Stand. Down._ "

Immediately, Wheezer stopped moving. Her lungs probably did too when she began to pat around for her inhalers. Flinch automatically let her go at this.

The woman sighs, placing two fingers in her temple. "Apologies agents, but you were all supposed to report here an  _hour_ ago, so we need to keep the interruptions at a medium." She scowls at the Duncan and Ruby, who, from how invested they were in their current tasks, probably didn't even notice the commotion that took place. She walks over and snatches the XP - 400 and Ruby's binder out of their hands, both snapping up with a 'hey!' as she set both objects to the side. "This also means I need you all  _focused_ for the briefing and the mission, so I won't be returning these until after you return. Understood?"

The NERDS nodded, Matilda putting away her inhalers and walking to one of the other rooms to change - not before rushing back and violently punching Heathcliff on the shoulder. Both Flinch and Jackson grimaced when there was a sickening crack, followed by Heathcliff screeching in pain shortly after.

The rest of the briefing ran smoothly afterwards, Flinch plucking bubblegum out of Matilda's hair and, when nobody was looking, popping it into his mouth, and Deprankova catching a few distracted glances from Ruby and Duncan, but otherwise there were no other hitches.

Deprankova didn't think much about that day after that. She usually didn't - she couldn't expect all teams to run without flaws, not even the main one.

However, those days ended up becoming more frequent.

One by one each of the NERDS would bring their homework or class projects to the briefing room to work on, despite Brand and Deprankova's refusals, and wouldn't pay much attention to the actual briefing. Small disagreements turned into spats, which turned into petty bickering, which escalated to full - on quarrels, even from Ruby, that the librarian sometimes had to force them to sit far away from each other in order for them to calm down.

What concerned her the most was how  _tired_  each of them were beginning to look. At first, only a few of them would let out quiet yawns, which usually didn't effect their performance on missions. However, this started to get worse, dark bags hanging under their eyes, sluggish postures, and short - lived attention spans. Sometimes Deprankova was so paranoid she'd turn to the team every five minutes, only to find that most had already dozed off.

Deprankova decides to finally question this when the whole team knocked out on in the first few minutes of the briefing.

"Children, are you alright?" she asks when she finally manages to shake them awake. "You haven't exactly been at your best these past weeks..."

"It's nothing much," Flinch responds while rubbing his eyes. "We've just been really busy. Helping recruits-"

"Finishing projects," Jackson yawned.

"Catching up on missed lessons," Heathcliff adjusts his glasses, blinking several times.

"Not to mention we have a Latin exam tomorrow," Ruby reminded, which caused several exaggerated groans from the team. It was the one class they all agreed was their least favorite.

"We're just... _stressed_ , really," Duncan shrugs, fiddling with the glue dispenser in his hands. It occurred to Deprankova that she doesn't remember the last time he ate his treasured snack. "There's so much to do with so little time...we only ever have a few small moments in our schedule to ourselves."

"But surely you take breaks in between, correct?" Deprankova asked. "What is the maximum you've ever rested?"

"Four," Matilda blurted, not picking her head up from the table.

"Hours?" Deprankova asked hopefully.

"Minutes," the group resounded in unison.

The Hyena winced when the projection ended. "Yikes. That's....that's concerning."

Deprankova nods worriedly, "I even spoke with their parents. Apparently, they spend all night catching up on schoolwork rather than getting their needed eight hours of sleep."

"Don't they have day - offs on weekends?" The Hyena asked.

"They do, but they spend those days doing full team trainings on the recruits," Deprankova sighs. "Even the other teams are worried about them."

"Can't you just...I dunno, give them an actual day off from all things work related?"

"I tried!" Deprankova exclaimed as Benjamin whirred, putting up another projection. This time NERDS were staring at Deprankova with puzzled expressions.

"A  _break_?" Ruby asked slowly.

Deprankova nods brightly, "no missions, no recruit training, no school assignments...just a whole day to spend time with each other - or by yourselves, whichever you prefer. Brand and I have discussed with your teachers, and you've been excused for the day."

Again the team only continued to stare back at her in bewilderment. Hyena knew from Jackson that the team still  _hated_ being coddled, so she wasn't surprised with their reaction.

"That's...very generous of you Ms. Deprankova," Heathcliff began, which made the older female beam proudly. The redhead hesitates, carefully choosing his words.

"But I'm afraid we're going to have to turn down your offer."

Deprankova's smile was wiped right off her face.

"Ms. Deprankova, with all due respect, we're  _very_  busy," he continued. "a break will only push us farther behind in our studies, not to mention progress with the other agents is quite already slow on its own. It would pointlessly waste time and you and Brand would be forced to take on all the other students in our absence. It's much wiser for us to simply continue with how things are currently rather than taking unnecessary breaks."

Deprankova could only watch in stunned silence as the NERDS filed out the room, going their separate ways once more. She'd only known these kids for a while, but watching how neutral they were by themselves broke her heart it a little. It was as if they had already accepted this as their new lives.

"So what do you need me for?" The Hyena asked once the projection ended.

"I can't get them to accept my offer, and locking them in one of the other rooms would be useless since they know all the deactivation codes and Ruby could hack the system," Deprankova explains. "However,  _you_  have a way with them."

The Hyena quirked a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?" She stares intently at the librarian's expression, which had a twinkle of humor behind her eyes. The ex - pageant star smiles in recognition. "ah. I get it now."

***

To say the NERDS looked tired was an understatement. When all six of them stepped in, the Hyena swore each were ready to pass out any second, dragging their feet until each of them were seated. None of them seemed to notice the lack of Deprankova's presence until the Hyena stepped into eyesight.

The older girl whistles. "Wow, when the librarian said you were sleep - deprived, she wasn't kidding."

"Save the small talk for later Mindy," Ruby snapped. The Hyena was taken aback by her harsh tone. "let's just get this meeting over with."

Hyena studied each of the agents - it's been a while since she's actually seen them in person. The first thing that catches her eye is the light blue mug Jackson was sipping from.

"Is that coffee?" She asks, brows furrowing. "I thought you geeks hated that stuff!"

"Ruby does, she's allergic, but it keeps us awake," Jackson shrugs, taking another sip. He pushes the mug to Matilda, who to the Hyena's disgust, takes a sip herself.  Duncan seemed to have read her mind and quickly explains, "the scientists are strict about letting us drink caffeine, and said minors like us should drink less than a cup. Technically, if we all drink from the same mug, we'd be ingesting one - fifth of a cup."

"You people are gross," the Hyena gags.

"Hyena, get straight to the point already - what's our mission?" Ruby demands, pushing away the cup when it's passed to her - she's allergic to both the coffee and the share of spit.

"Is that what they told you to get you here?" Hyena asks, rolling her eyes. "There is no mission. We're here to talk about that day off Ms. Deprankova tried to give you."

Ruby sighs agitatedly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "we've already sorted this out with her - we  _don't_   _need_  a break."

"Say's the one with the darkest eyebags," The Hyena said pointedly. "Look, everyone's really concerned about your well - beings, and even though you won't admit it, you're in  _desperate_ need for some time away from all this superspy stuff. You're unfocused, overworked, insomniac, and the fact you've resorted to  _coffee_ tells me you haven't been taking care of yourselves. So you're gonna take that day off, or I'll  _make_  you."

Flinch snorts, "no offense Hyena, but it's six against one. Even you can't handle that many of us."

"Oh I didn't mean that as a fight - I meant it as a  _laugh_."

That caught the NERDS' attention immediately. From the time they knew her, the Hyena would never use her 'upgrade' openly unless it was absolutely necessary. The leader of the team narrowed her eyes at the taller female. "Really?"

"Yes,  _really_ ," the Hyena states, placing her hands on her hips, watching the younger kids slowly grow tense. "So, are we gonna do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

None of the NERDS responded, each growing more tense by the minute. They've experience Hyena's ability first hand - it was  _not_ a good memory.

The Hyena sighs, shaking her head slightly. "The hard way it is then."

Ruby only had a split second to yell 'COVER YOUR EARS!' before the Hyena's assault started. The others managed to heed her warning in time, but with only the flat of their palms covering their ears, it wouldn't be long until they started giggling.

Jackson's braces whirled our of his mouth, forming two giant hands to grab the Hyena. The Hyena is quick, and dodged both hands with ease. While she was distracted, Flinch zips around the Hyena at superhuman speed, creating a mini tornado in the room, hands still covering his ears. This silences her laugh just enough to give the NERDS some time.

"Wheezer, Gluestick, get her mouth! Heathcliff, help me look for earplugs," Ruby orders, and the rest of the team zips into action. Wheezer activates her inhalers, flying Gluestick above Flinch's tornado. In the eye of the storm, The Hyena had her arms crossed over her chest, attempting the push past the whirlwind, grinding her teeth. Gluestick used this advantage to aim his hand at her face, holding his fire until his asthmatic friend steadied them in the air so he wouldn't accidentally hit Flinch.

However, the Hyena heard the buzz of Wheezer's inhalers. She faces up, and her high - pitched, ridiculous laugh shot upwards. Wheezer teeters back, both kids already in a giggle fit, and the small girl's inhalers slip from her grip, sending the two sailing downwards, where they collide with their speeding teammate. The Hyena's laughter amplifies, bouncing against the walls until it was the only thing it could be heard in the room. This time, the NERDS were unprepared.

Each tried to fight back smirks, attempting to cover their ears again, but this time her laugh was louder, able to be heard even with their ears covered. It didn't help that two of them were already laughing, and laughter is contagious.

One by one each began to snicker, then shake, until all of them had subdued to hysterical laughter, falling to their sides. Jackson made one last attempt to silence her, shakily swatting his robotic hands at the Hyena, who easily stepped over, pinning them under the heel of her boot.

Finally, the Hyena stops laughing, the ridiculous, donkeylike noises fading away. Each of the NERDS were sprawled out on the floor, clutching their bellies, some groaning and some still giggling.

"Give up?" Hyena asked cheekily.

"NEVER!" The team shouted.

"Just...just give us...a few moments....to recover," Jackson gasped, attempting to push himself up by his elbows, failing miserably. In fact, none of the NERDS were able to get up.

"I can't feel my legs," Flinch moaned. "Or arms."

"Yeah, you're supposed to feel that way," the Hyena folds her arms, watching the children on the floor. She had purposely laughed longer then she regularly did, just for added effect. "What? That one - fifth of coffee wearing off?" She teases.

"We....we told you," Ruby grits her teeth, sucking a breath harshly as she claws the floor, scooting ever so slowly to the taller female. "We...are not... _tiirreeedddd-"_

Ruby flops on the floor, her last bits of energy gone, breathing heavily. The Hyena sighs, squatting down to their level. "Okay, cut it out you guys. You  _need_  that break. You  _physically_ can't get up because of how little you take care of yourselves!" she gestures to them to prove her point. "So stop fighting, stop denying it, and just  _take a goddamn nap."_

Ruby wanted to argue. She had so many points to backup her side of the argument, but when she managed to lift her head just the slightest, and saw the state of her team, battered and weary, she knew she couldn't keep pushing them past their limits.

" _Fine_ ," She grunted, laying her head back down. From the shuffling she heard, she guessed the others were surprised. "We'll take your stupid offer."

The Hyena smiles. "Good."

The team didn't know how, but right when those words left her mouth, they were hit with a brick of exhaustion. Their shoulders relaxed, bodies growing limp, their eyes blinking to stay awake. When did the floor get so comfortable...?

The Hyena blinked, taking in the sight of the now passed out team of NERDS. "Wow," she mutters, getting up. "They must've worn themselves out." She pressed her nose as she closed the lights, smiling a little at the sleeping children. "Deprankova? We're going to need some blankets over here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the oneshot, and I promise in the next part they'll actually be bonding like normal kids!


	4. Do What You Have To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The NERDS find out what Mindy's 'secret job' is - and it's far from likable.

The Hyena walked down the corridor with a silent, practiced ease that she's long mastered since she was nine. Having a dream to be an assassin at an early age does wonders on your training. She scans the hall for a moment, quickly checking if any of the goons were around, before jogging into the next hallway.

She replays the instructions Brand gave her before the mission - sneak into the Minatory's personal quarters, confront the villain, foil any plans that might've been afoot or scheduled.

Terminate the villain after the plans have been secured.

'Terminate' - fancy word for 'killed', so any of the younger recruits wouldn't automatically catch on to what they were saying. It's ironic, in a way, that the Hyena still ended up getting the job she's been training for since she tossed her pageant tiara. It makes sense though - Brand and Deprankova can't really expect the NERDS teams to ever truly perform such a feat. Their job was simple - take down the bad guy, bring him to jail. They never had to truly  _kill_ a villain, it just wasn't necessary.

That and the fact they were all merely children that couldn't possibly be okay with doing such.

Heck, even the  _main_ team wasn't up for that.

The thought of the main NERDS made the Hyena pause briefly in the hallway. That and the receding guard she almost failed to notice in time. Brand had also informed her that the team would be present as well, but with a different objective - interfere with the nuclear bomb testing and destroy any prototypes they may possibly find. Sure, nuclear bombs on their own were already warning bells, but  _these_ bombs were designed to wipe out entire  _states_ from merely a single bomb. What was a villain planning to do with such a powerful nuclear weapon? Nothing much - just wiping out every country and continent to rubble - despite whether or not there were still inhabitants. Like the typical villain agenda.

Yes, it was proven a long time ago that the Minatory was a formidable foe, probably much worse than most of their previous ones. That's why the Hyena was here to do this - villains like him can't be reasoned with. Locking him up only risks the chances of him possibly escaping and restoring his plans. Which was why this required a  _permanent_ solution.

She had to be careful not to run in to the NERDS, though. That would risk interference from the teammates and possibly compromise her real task. If any of them were to find out about her true job...

The very though made her shudder, continuing to run down the hall, counting each door and checking the emblem on each one. She can't  _imagine_  how they would react after they find out, much less whether they would even look at her the same way ever again. As far as they knew, she put that life behind.

The Hyena finally stopped at a door with the emblem she had been looking for - two stars with a swirly, silver line interconnecting the two. The Hyena had to take two whole weeks to memorize each of the symbols on the door and point out even the tiniest of details - like the fact that these two stars had pointer ends compared to the other doors, and the silver line is the only one actually connected fully. This  _must_ be one of the Minatory's rooms - either his office, or his actual personal room, to which the platinum blonde solely hopes it's the latter. She ran her fingertips along the very edge of the doorframe, and slowly pushed it open.

What she did  _not_ expect to find was a familiar strawberry blonde haired boy digging through a mess of papers on a desk, every paper he deemed unnecessary being thrown from the pile and scattered around the room, one even landing at the Hyena's feet.

" _Jackson_?" The Hyena blurted incredulously, and the boy accidentally bumped his head into the desk, stumbling to get to his feet as quickly as possible, whirling around.

" _Mindy_?" Jackson gawked once he had stuck his head out from the table, eyes going wide upon seeing the taller girl, trying to fix his hair and smoothen out the wrinkles in his shirt, quickly coming to his feet. "Wh-What are you doing here? Brand didn't say anything about you joining the mission!"

'Well that's because I wasn't supposed to run into any of you,' The Hyena thought, blowing a stray hair out of her face. "Sort of on my own mission. Confidential - not allowed to tell you." She responded curtly, deciding there was no use in just standing there in the open and finally stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Speaking of which, what are  _you_ doing here? Shouldn't you be with the others?"

Jackson scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well,  _yeah,_ but then Ruby had an idea that if we find the blueprints and sche-what's-its -"

"Schematics."

"-yeah that, to the bombs themselves, then we could stop any more bombs from being created so we wouldn't have to keep coming back if they make any more. Kill two birds with a stone, I guess."

"Then shouldn't Heathcliff be here? Or Duncan? They're the geek squad, they could find the blueprints much faster and leave the room less... _disturbed_." The Hyena pointed out, eyeing the rest of the cluttered room. "No offense, Braceface, but you're not exactly someone I would trust in finding something that precise."

The blonde boy flushed indignantly. "Hey, I'm useful in more than just the battlefield! And Choppers and Gluestick are more on the 'techy' field, so I was sent to do this instead. Mainly because Wheezer didn't want to miss out on the action, and Flinch is an obvious no-no."

"So you were the last option?" The Hyena teased, beginning to pick up a few of the discarded papers and making a new stack on the table.

" _Th_ - _That's not_ -!" Jackson made an exasperated groan, and before he could give a response, a heavy set of footsteps began to echo through the halls, seemingly approaching their room. The blonde brought a finger to his lips, gesturing for The Hyena to come over as she flicked off the lights, and both kids crouched under the desk. The footsteps stopped right in front of the door, and the children held their breath, staying absolutely still despite whoever it was not having entered the room yet.

Seconds later, the door slowly swung open, and the familiar thump of combat boots echoed against the tile floor, chains and what sounded like weaponry items clinking about with every movement. This wasn't the Minatory, thank God, but it was one of the guards, and while the two agents could take him out easily, The Hyena was on a stealth mission, and would much rather prefer to engage combat with only her specific target.

_And_ without Jackson present.

Fortunately, the guard wasn't inside for too long, and left after nothing longer than a quick overview of the room, though none of the kids moved out of their hiding spot until the footsteps were long gone. They both let out a breath of relief, carefully moving out from under the desk, Jackson whirling to face The Hyena. "Look, we both have our own missions to get done, so why don't you help me, and I'll help you out on whatever it is you were sent here for?" The bracefaced boy offered.

The Hyena wrinkled her nose. "Thanks, but no thanks. Like I said nerd boy -  _confidential."_

_"_ Aw,  _c'mooooooon_!" Jackson begged, to which the platinum blonde let out a groan, staring at the boy's pleading face for a couple of seconds. She shakes her head. 

"Fine - but after this, we go our separate ways, got it?" The Hyena said sternly, to which the boy nods furiously, making somewhat of a salute to her. "Yes, ma'am."

The Hyena snorted at this, and the two children went to work, rummaging through the desk, opening drawers and flipping from paper to paper, trying to find even the smallest hint of blue. When they didn't find anything in the main desk, they searched through the file cabinets surrounding the room, having to pick a couple of locks to access a few of the drawers (Hyena doesn't just wear a bobby pin for nothing, despite Jackson insisting to just turn his braces into a key or something), but eventually, they caught the a glimpse of the corner of blue papers sticking out from one of the top drawers, and finally pried it out. Judging from the detailed sketches, similar to the actual prototypes that could be found all over the base, it was obvious that these were the blueprints of the Minatory's nuclear bombs.

Jackson grins, rolling up the blueprint, and right on cue the blue-eyed boy let out a sneeze. "Braceface, did you find the schematics?" Ruby's voice asked in his head. "Well, I found the blueprints, so that's at least a win," Braceface responded.

"That's literally what I said, Braceface."

"No, you said ' _sche-whatcha-ma-call-it_."

" _Schematics_ , Braceface. It's not that hard to say."

"To you, maybe! I'm still getting 'accustomed' to all the big words you and the others always use!"

"-sigh- whatever you say. You already found it, right?"

"Yeah, oh! And I'm with the Hy-" Jackson was suddenly cut off when the Hyena forcefully covered his mouth from behind, pinching his nose to end the comlink.

"Wh-Hey! What was that for?" He demanded when the older girl released her hold.

"Nobody's supposed to know I'm here, Jackson," The Hyena explained, wiping the hand she had used to cover his mouth with a handkerchief - she wasn't as unsanitary as most of the agents. "It's basically the whole 'confidential' part. Speaking of, I should probably get going now."

"Well, at least let me return the favor!" Jackson argued as the Hyena stuffed the handkerchief back in her skirt pocket, peeking into the hallway. "You helped me go through all this junk to find the stupid blueprint, let help you in top secret mission!"

"Jackson, what part of 'confidential' did you not understand?" The Hyena hissed, keeping low as she stepped back into the hallway - and begrudgingly, with the bracefaced boy close behind. "Stop following me! Go back to your own team! This is for your own good!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a secret agent too! There shouldn't  _be_ any 'confidential' missions since we're all in the same team! Er, actually, organization! I deserve the right to know!"

"Jackson, this  _isn't_ a game, this is serious-"

"I know that,  _Mindy_!  _Every_ mission is life-threatening! There should be no reason to keep secrets from each other! No one mission is worse than another!"

"Well this one  _is_ , Jackson! Now leave me alone!"

"What's so bad about this mission that you have to keep it under wraps?! Just  _tell me_!!"

"You wouldn't look at me the same!"

"I don't care, just  _SAY IT_ -"

" _I HAVE TO KILL THE MINATORY_ " The Hyena practically bellowed, to which Jackson instinctively jolts back from both the volume and statement, her voice so loud that it was  _miracle_ none of the guards in any nearby hallways heard it. It was then the Hyena realized what she had just said, and the absolute shock on both their faces said it all.

For a couple of seconds, the two preteens stared at each other in complete silence, taking in the words that flew out of the girl's mouth, their eyes wide as yo-yos and jaw slackened in horror. Jackson took a couple steps back, his expression in frozen in a face of pure horror - one that the Hyena was  _terrified_ of ever seeing. "K... _Kill_? No, y-you can't  _possibly_ mean that...we-we just arrest the bad guys, put them to jail, let the authorities decide what to do with them... _right_?" The blonde boy desperately scans the Hyena's eyes, searching for any sign that what she said might not be true. "We..We  _never_ go that far. Ever."

The platinum haired girl could only nod grimly in response, rubbing her arm. "The authorities decided not to take a chance with this one. I...I have to put him down."

"But why  _you_? I thought you gave up that life, Mindy!! You-You were recruited into NERDS, put with the TROUBLEMAKERS - heck, they're your  _team_ now - and yet you're  _still_ in the assassin gig?" Jackson poured out, still in utter disbelief that the ex-assassin was now an  _actual_ assassin.

The Hyena winced, her eyes now glued to the floor. "That was why Brand recruited me in the first place," she uttered in a voice barely over a whisper. "He...He needed someone to stomach the 'gruesome' jobs."

Jackson could hardly bare to look at her. He didn't have to though when he let out another sneeze - and this time the panicked voice of Heathcliff was on the other line.

"Braceface? We-We need backup -  _fast_."

Jackson knit his brows in concern, almost immediately responding despite the earlier conversation. "Choppers? What's going on over there?" He asked, and upon asking the Hyena glanced up with a similar look of concern.

"We managed to self destruct most of the bombs, b-but we had a run-in with the Minatory."

At that statement, the blonde boy paled, his eyes meeting the Hyena's as Heathcliff kept talking. "Th-The others tried to fight him off, but the Minatory...he's taking them down in  _seconds_. The only reason I managed to contact you is because I'm in the control center, trying to shut off most of the security systems around each of the bombs. I-I'm watching them through the surveillance cameras right now a-and...it's not looking good. They're  _barely_ holding him off. Jackson... _please hurry_."

"I'm on my way, Choppers. Stay low," he responded firmly, taking one last glance at his companion. "And I've got backup."

The blonde boy pinched his nose, ending the comlink as he finally looked Mindy directly in the eyes, his expression scarily neutral compared to before. "Well, the Minatory's attacking the team. Looks like you're coming with me after all."

The Hyena doesn't respond, simply following the boy down the hallway, now noticing the painful gap in between her and Jackson. At this point, she has no choice. The rest of the NERDS will find out about her assignment, one way or another. And seeing the way Jackson reacted, she is  _terrified_ of how the others will react upon finding out - or if things between her and the main team would ever be the same again.

***

Jackson has never seen the team ever lose this hard. The first thing the duo was greeted to when they reached the warehouse unit was  _Flinch_ being tossed right into a wall to their left, causing a dent right in it as he crumpled to the floor. And there, right at the center of the warehouse, was a rather stout, but well-built man in a purple trench coat, brass knuckles glinting from his fists as he sent attack after attack at the remaining NERDS.

The rest weren't faring any better either - the remaining members were just barely dodging each of the Minatory's attacks, Matilda clutching her gut, her free hand wielding her inhaler to fly out of reach,  Ruby favoring her right leg, and Duncan currently scrambling up a wall to avoid being grabbed by the Minatory. With every move they made, the man seemed to somehow read their minds, whirling around sharply and snatching Duncan's leg, then spun him around to hit Ruby - who barely managed to duck before impact thanks to her allergies - and tossed him upward to fly smack into Matilda, knocking her out of the air and sending both kids to the ground. A couple more hits in the right places, and they'd all be down for the count - if two of them weren't already.

Jackson was about to rush into the fight himself when he stops himself, raising an arm to stop his companion rushing in as he watches the fight for a good moment.  _Alright Jackson, think. How do I stop someone like this?_ He can't think too long about it though, the rest of the team won't last another second he wastes. The Minatory was obviously really strong, and from the way he was able to predict each of his teammates' actions before they happened, he was also really smart.  _Of course he's smart, he's a mad genius,_  Jackson reminded himself,  chewing his lip nervously. He can't lay a hand on him, so what  _can_ he do? His eyes catch sight of the remaining ginormous bombs, and an idea formulated in the blonde's head. He can't defeat him - but he  _can_ reach the other bombs and finish the job for the others so they can make their getaway.

And begrudgingly let the Hyena do her job.

"Hey," he suddenly spoke up to the said girl, whose head snapped up at the sound of his voice. "If you're going to be here to kill this guy, then be my guest. I'm destroying the other bombs, and once I do, me and the team are making it outta here like mice. Just keep him occupied in the meantime," he explained, to which the Hyena's eyes widened - most likely shocked by more than his plan. Jackson gave Mindy a side eye expectantly, and the platinum blonde finally gave him a nod, running forward to join the fight as the boy pressed his nose. "Heathcliff, how many of the bombs are disabled?" 

"Three of them at the moment. I'm working on the other seven right now." The redhead answered from the other side of the comlink. "B-dash-22, 23, and 24 are the ones ready to be self destruct."

"Good, keep working on that. Braceface out." 

Jackson ends the comlink shortly afterwards and watches the fight closely, most specifically on the Minatory. He waits until his focus is completely on the fight before him, turning his back to where Jackson was, then began to dash over to the rest of the bombs, keeping as low as possible and his footsteps quiet as he passes the fight in the center, crossing to the other side of the warehouse. Every time the Minatory seemed to turn over to his direction, Jackson would freeze, crouching low to evade sight before making his way to the bombs, his steps quickening the closer he got, his heart ramming in chest as he anxiously sends constant glances to the ever continuing fight.

It felt much too long when he finally reached the first bomb, and he cranes his head to catch a glimpse of the bomb's number -  _B-25._

Jackson groans. He finally made his way to the other side, and he  _still_ reached the wrong bomb. This was going to take too long. The blonde's braces whirled out of his mouth, forming into eight large spider legs, lifting the boy into the air and beginning to scale the bomb in front of him, carefully climbing it with a long practiced ease.

Meanwhile, the Hyena was faring surprisingly better than she thought she would - that reason only being that she had taken Ruby's approach to the fight and only kept  _avoiding_ the attacks. "When will the government learn to stop sending  _minors_ to do their dirty work?" The Minatory asked with a dark chuckle, sending another lightning fast punch that Ruby only managed to sidestep away from in the last second. "I pity the families I have to take their children away from." 

"Not if we make it out of here alive you won't," The Hyena snarled, still evading the Minatory's attacks, having no luck finding an opening to retaliate any of her own.

" _Why_ are you here again?" Matilda cried from far right, sending a blast from her inhaler, only for it to be somehow blocked by the fabric of the man's trench coat, seemingly unaffected. ' _Must be fireproof material,_ ' the Hyena thought. "Just focus on the fight, Wheezer! We can interrogate her later!" Ruby orders, ducking away from a kick to the side, scratching and itching herself everywhere. She was allergic to skilled fighters - and she was also allergic to  _overpowering_ ones. This fight wasn't going to end well with their state, especially with their strongest fighter out cold. 

The Hyena was sure they'd got him now when Duncan whipped his hand out, spraying the man in from head to toe, beginning to encase him in glue, trapping him in place as she and the other girls formed a smaller circle around the man, yet still watched tensely. Then, all of a sudden, with a hand still free, the Minatory  _ripped_ his arm out of the glue trap, the hardened paste flying everywhere as the NERDS quickly scrambled back, preparing for another fight as the large man smashed himself out of his encasing, grinning down menacingly at the preteens. The Hyena now realized in horror why the NERDS had struggled so long to bring him down - this guy was somehow near  _invincible._ "Fair try." He sneered in a mocking tone, before the group engaged into battle once more.

Following Heathcliff's instructions, Jackson had painstakingly set bomb after bomb to self destruct in two minutes - less than enough time to get himself out of there if he didn't quicken his pace. The blonde had hopped from bomb to bomb, setting the self destruct before hopping to another one shortly, sweat dribbling from his forehead as his fingers shook with every press on the panels, never lingering too long on one and already springing to the next afterwards. He nearly lost his footing as he landed on the final bomb, _B-29_ , scrambling his mechanical legs to the other side and ripping off the panel, rapidly typing away at the controls he memorized after each of the bombs, setting this one to only ten seconds, each bomb already having ticked down to that number as well. Not wasting a second, Jackson hurled himself off the bomb, landing quite harshly but immediately darting away from the bombs, his braces whirling back into his mouth and his feet dashing across the warehouse in an instant.

"GET BACK!" Jackson screams out, and the NERDS don't even need an explanation, already having figured it out a long time ago and making a run for it - right when the timers on the bomb finally ticked the last second.

It's a miracle any of them where able to make it out of the doorway in time as the warehouse  _erupted_ in flames, explosion after explosion bursting inside and destroying everything left inside, the warehouse's roof caving in as Ruby ushered everyone behind a nearby cargo pile, dragging Julio over her shoulder as they all pressed their backs against their square cover, eyes squeezing shut and pressing against each other, each flinching with every explosion that burst from the warehouse. 

Then, after what felt like an eternity, they shakily got to their feet, turning around to survey the damage. The warehouse was burnt to crisp - the parts of the warehouse ceiling taking on an ash black color, a couple of flames still crackling on the surface, and every single cargo or station present inside completely  _obliterated_.

However, that wasn't what caught the NERDS' immediate attention.

It was the man with the half flaming head and a tattered trench coat standing at the doorway that rendered them all speechless, his amused sneer now long gone, replaced with an absolutely  _terrifying_ growl.

" _Well aren't all quite MEDDLESOME_?" The Minatory seethed, beginning to make his way over to the NERDS, who now found themselves in a cornered position, backs meeting the wall when they tried to step back. "Guys," Ruby tried to call hastily, shaking a few of their shoulders and trying to urge them to the hallway. " _Guys_!" But each of her teammates, minus the unconscious one on her back, seemed to have their feet planted to the ground, their faces frozen in fear and completely  _stuck_ on the menacing man stomping towards them-

Until he suddenly stopped. The NERDS could only watch in complete shock as the man suddenly lurched forward - falling flat on his face with some sort of large syringe stabbed into the back of his neck, pink liquid leaking out from out of his flesh that made a couple of them gag and shudder, slowly looking up to the source. The Hyena stood where the Minatory had previously been, a neutral expression on her face as she pried the syringe out of the man's thick skin, grimacing at the blood still soaking the needle. "So that's why they gave me a serum," she mumbles, taking out her handkerchief and wipe the blood and serum stains from the outside, half-glancing at the NERDS with a sober look. Each of them were still staring at her in complete shock, mixed with what she could only read as horror and disbelief at what they had just witnessed. Their ally, their friend,  _killing_ someone.

The only person whose face wasn't completely wearing that look was Ruby, who had steeled her expression to give the older girl a nod. "...Nice job, Mindy." She finally quipped, leading the others out from behind the cargo pile. The Hyena's face twist into one of confusion. "Wait, you  _knew_ I was going to do this?"

Ruby made a light scoff. "Of course - a leader can't be caught off guard." She responds, as the alarms suddenly blared above them, snapping the rest of the NERDS out of their trance. "It won't be long until his goons start arriving. C'mon."

***

The ride back home was quiet -  _agonizingly_ quiet.  After Heathcliff regrouped with the others and Julio woke up, they were shortly informed what had happened. None of the NERDS bared to look at her after that - too consumed by what they saw and heard, seemingly very uncomfortable and shaken. The Hyena doesn't blame them though - she can only imagine how they must be feeling at the moment. She isn't the only one the notice the others' behavior. Ruby's lips thinned, and after a heavy sigh, she reached out her arms a bit. "C'mere," She told them quietly, gesturing them to come over, and it isn't long until each of the other members leaned against their leader, curling closer as the blonde female rubbed their backs. It made the Hyena smile a little watching them - no matter the circumstances, they're truly got each other.

She's startled out of her daydream when a figure moves to sit beside her - Jackson, to be in fact. "Hey." He mumbles quietly. "Hey." The Hyena echoed, fiddling with the syringe in her hand. He's still avoiding eye contact with her, but this is the warmest he's acted since they got onto the School Bus, so she'll take she can get.

The two are silent once more until the blonde finally spoke up. ".....I'm sorry."

The Hyena blinked at the boy. "For what?"

"For..y'know... _overreacting_ ," Jackson responds with a shrug, seemingly shrinking in his seat. "I..I shouldn't have pushed you into saying that. Or acting the way I did when you told me. You were just following orders - I shouldn't have treated you any differently."

The platnium blonde girl's eyes softened, and she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright," she told him softly, watching as Jackson finally turned to face her. "Your reaction was completely normal. I...I just didn't want to lose any of you, that's why I didn't want to say anything. Are..." The Hyena paused, suddenly nervous. "Are we still friends?"

It takes only a second for Jackson to answer, a small smile curling on his face. "Yeah. 'Course we are," he told her, which brought a smile on the Hyena's face as well, exhaling in relief. There's a collective wave of exhaustion afterwards, and Jackson suddenly leans his head on her shoulder, the Hyena leaning her own head on top of his, and the preteens slowly drift off for the rest of the ride.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooo - 4711 words for the one shot I've been procrastinating on for months. I apologize for the inactivity, schoolwork stacked up and I was running low on inspiration. But now I'm back into writing! For now, at least. Hoped you all enjoyed, and leave a request on the request chapter!


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